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Weight loss, cortisol levels, and dexamethasone suppression in major depressive disorder
Author(s) -
Casper R.C.,
Swann A.C.,
Stokes P.E.,
Chang S.,
Katz M.M.,
Garver D.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1987.tb02784.x
Subject(s) - appetite , weight loss , medicine , endocrinology , depression (economics) , dexamethasone , dexamethasone suppression test , hydrocortisone , psychology , obesity , economics , macroeconomics
— Appetite and/or weight loss are integral, albeit not necessary, symptoms of depression. We explored the contribution of diminished appetite and/or weight loss ascertained by history to the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation in 120 patients with primary major depressive disorder. Significant positive relationship for both appetite and weight loss with cortisol levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were observed. Plasma cortisol levels were consistently higher in patients who noted both appetite and weight loss as opposed to patients without appetite or weight loss. Depressed patients with weight loss showed higher rates of dexamethasone‐nonsuppression. Age and severity of depression influenced but did not eliminate the significance of the findings, suggesting that weight loss accounts in part for the HPA‐axis function changes observed in depression.